There is a new beginning in California for economic development and ending mass incarceration. Yesterday, Gov. Jerry Brown agreed to allot an additional $265 million to fund early education for low-income children.

Once in a while, real journalism rears its fierce head to expose issues that are actually germane to the public and need public scrutiny. San Jose Inside’s recent reports on the county Superintendent of Schools fall into this category.

County schools chief Jon Gundry would prefer we not talk about the quarter-million dollar contract he set up with a mystery company, which, for all intents and purposes, exists to funnel taxpayer money.

Local leaders in transportation, education, housing and equity convened last week in Mountain View’s Computer History Museum for the 2015 Silicon Valley Regional Economic Forum.

Three years since a study to look at school district consolidation in Santa Clara County, we have not been able to make any progress due to the controversial nature of the topic.

The notoriously poor-performing Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters is back at the public trough, asking the Board of Supervisors (BOS) for millions more in taxpayer money for electronic equipment that may never be needed.

I implore you to take an extra moment this week and reach out to thank a teacher for the extraordinary work they do each and every day.

Going to the city attorney or county counsel for outside legal advice is like going to a proctologist for a head injury. Yes, they are doctors—but they are not the right kind of doctor. Moreover, government attorneys do not represent individuals, they represent the government entity and their advice on legal matters pertaining to political questions is often wrong.

Annual reports given to the Santa Clara County Board of Education this past weekend show that local charter schools are not reflective of their communities when it comes to accepting special education students.

An Atlanta judge last week sentenced eight public school teachers, principals and administrators to jail for conspiring to inflate students' state test scores. The sentencing was a tragic end to the Atlanta testing scandals that began in 2009.

Watching returns come in from the special election for San Jose’s District 4 council seat, Steve Kline noted there was something wrong. “There are too many spoiled ballots, “ he said.

From what I recently witnessed while attending traffic court in Santa Clara County, there is nothing consistent or impartial about the way the court is conducting itself.

While parts of our nation engage in voter suppression, the city of Santa Clara continues to provide new ways to increase voter participation and provide citizens with tools to evaluate candidates.

Spring can be a period of new beginnings for all of us. Or it can be more of the same: a war of words and posturing while some of our children fail to achieve their academic potential.

The inflammatory rhetoric, misguided leadership and pro corporate charter school stance of county education trustee Joseph Di Salvo and others has set the stage for the current battle being waged in local school districts.

The real secret to securing political power is, and always will be, voter turnout. Democrats win when there is heavy turnout, and Republicans win with lower turnout. It is just a fact. But what if voting wasn’t just a right for American citizens, but rather a requirement?